Senior cornerback Josh Atkinson has done a lot of running in his time at Notre Dame, but his time running out of the tunnel at Notre Dame Stadium will come to a close Saturday, when the Irish take on Louisville.
The Stockton, California, native has split his athletic career at Notre Dame between the football and track and field teams.
On the football field, Atkinson has seen playing time mainly on special teams. In his freshman year, the cornerback played in eight games and recorded two special teams tackles.
The next season, he still competed on special teams plays but also took more snaps at cornerback as well. Atkinson played in all 13 games, including the 2013 BCS National Championship Game, and he totaled five tackles on the year. Three of those came against Boston College on Nov. 10, 2012, marking his career high.
The 5-foot-11.5, 195-pounder picked up three more tackles last season in five appearances, including one during Notre Dame’s victory over Rutgers in the Pinstripe Bowl on Dec. 28.
Atkinson has not made an appearance for Notre Dame this season.
On the track, Atkinson competed in sprint events for the Irish. He placed fourth in the 100-meter dash at the 2012 Big East Outdoor Championships his freshman year and finished fifth in the 60-meter dash at the Big East Indoor Championships earlier that year..
After not competing for Notre Dame track and field his sophomore year, Atkinson took 15th place at the ACC Indoor Championships in the 200-meter dash last spring. At the conference’s outdoor championships, he placed fifth in the 100-meter dash and seventh in the 200-meter event, and was part of the 4x100-meter relay team, which took second place.
Atkinson’s twin brother, George, was a standout on the gridiron, leaving Notre Dame after last season to prepare for the NFL draft. The Oakland Raiders signed George as an undrafted free agent in May, and the running back is currently a member of the team’s practice squad. George also competed on the track team his freshman year.
Notre Dame declined to make Atkinson available for an interview.
